White label
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
Related e |
Featured: |
White label records are vinyl records with adhesive plain white labels affixed. Test pressings, usually with Test Pressing written on the label, with catalogue number, artist and recording time or date, are produced in small quantities (usually under 5 copies) to evaluate the quality of the disc production. Plain White Label promos were produced in larger quantities by bigger record labels, often containing a biography of the band, to distribute as demonstration discs ("demos") to music distributors, and radio stations in order to assess consumer opinion.
Today, white labels are usually produced in small amounts (less than 300) by small record companies or DJs and are most popular with house music and hip-hop DJs. In the early 1990s, hardcore techno/house artists created tracks in home or local studios and had 500 or a few thousand singles pressed on 12" white labels, which were easy to sell at dance music record stores.